Armed with a degree in radio electronics, in the 1990s had first stores in Moscow with bar code readers. Diversified company later traded food and electronics, imported bananas, managed banks and an airline; group eventually collapsed. Now focuses on the gambling business and is opening slots parlors and casinos in Russia, the Baltics, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Italy, Germany, the U.S. and Latin America. Injured in an accident at a friend's home in Monte Carlo ten years ago; appears frequently at Moscow parties in a wheelchair. Heads the Russian Committee for the Development of the Paralympics Movement. The new focus on international expansion will help Boyko since Vladimir Putin pushed through strict laws limiting gambling to just four regions in Russia.